Removal of copper ingots

ABSTRACT

Equipment for clearing away copper ingots which includes a means adapted to both separate the ingots from each other and to push them one by one upon a conveying means. The equipment may also include a weighing machine which works independently both of the casting machine and of the conveying means and weighs the ingots before they have been placed upon the conveying means. Also the equipment may include a chain elevator which is used for separating the ingots from each other, an air piston, and an auxiliary conveying means for conveying faulty ingots.

United States Patent Edouard n6 Bie 72] lnventor Antwerpen, Belgium 211 App]. NO. 783,343

[22] Filed Dec. 12,1968

[45] Patented Nov. 9, 1971 [73] Assignee N. V. Metallurgie Hoboken S.A.

Brussels, Belgium [32] Priority Dec. 14, 1967 [33] Belgium [54] REMOVAL OF COPPER INGOTS 12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

52 US. Cl .1 164/269, 214/2, 164/326, 164/4, 164/150 51 1m. (:1 ..G0lg 1'3/00, 822d 45/00, 822d 47/00, 865g 19/00 501 Field 01 Search 164/324 P, 326, 401, 40s, 76, 327, 269, 150, 4, 270; 214 2, 6 C,6A,6R,6N,6H,6M,6(6.2),6BA,6F,6G,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,436,968 4/1969 Unger et al. 214/6 P 1,748,333 2/1930 Eppensteiner et al. 164/327 2,976,586 3/1961 Griggs 164/269 597,367 1/1898 Walker..... 164/326 628,241 7/1899 Dyblie 164/348 905,194 12/1908 Ladd et al. [64/326 543,700 7/1895 Potter 164/326 2,679,668 6/1954 Johns 164/404 1,498,971 6/1924 Ladd 164/327 FOREIGN PATENTS 956,865 4/1964 Great Britain 164/269 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-V. K. Rising AttorneyF red C. Philpitt ABSTRACT: Equipment for clearing away copper ingots which includes a means adapted to both separate the ingots from each other and to push them one by one upon a conveying means. The equipment may also include a weighing machine which works independently both of the casting machine and of the conveying means and weighs the ingots before they have been placed upon the conveying means. Also the equipment may include a chain elevator which is used for separating the ingots from each other, an air piston, and an auxiliary conveying means for conveying faulty ingots.

PATENTEDunv 91371 8,618,657

SHEET 1 BF 3 DUB [If] [I] REMOVAL OF COPPER INGOTS This invention relates to a process and to an apparatus for clearing away copper ingots having the shape of wirebars."

It is known to-cast copper bars into moulds arranged upon a circular machine called carrousel. The clearing away of the wirebars after their removal from the respective moulds requires a large number of handling operations, which require substantial manpower. Conveying plant is known ensuring their distribution in a continuous manner to the inspection benches.

The wirebars arrive upon conveyors in a mixed manner and in disorder, with the set of the wirebar directed sometimes upwards, sometimes downwards, sometimes sideways.

This results in obstructions and jammings with interruptions of the operation when several bars arrive simultaneously upon the conveyors. Such interruptions of the operation plant are the cause of stoppages of the casting operation, which are particularly harmful for the quality of the wirebars obtained and for the efficiency of the plant.

One of the objects of the present invention is to ensure a regular and automatic advance of the wirebars towards the inspection benches.

Another object of the invention is to ensure the removal to an auxiliary station of those bars which are distorted or present other faults making them unacceptable.

Another object of the invention is to ensure a regular and precise weighing of the wirebars and also their exact marking.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the description which follows.

According to a characteristic feature of the invention, means are provided between the casting machine and con veyors which take away the wirebars, such means separating the bars from each other so that they shall arrive one by one upon the conveyors for their distribution.

According to another characteristic feature of the invention, a machine used for weighing the wirebars forms a unit per se" and is independent of the other members of the plant and is not influenced by the said members, and is arranged to weigh the ingots before they have been sent away by the conveyors.

Advantageously, auxiliary means are provided comprising an airhammer which removes the wirebars from their respective moulds and the wirebars which fall one next to the other, are placed upon a conveyor which sends them away.

Means are automatically provided for centering the bars at the foot of a chain elevator preceding a conveyor which receives the wirebars.

An air piston is advantageously provided for pushing the bars, according as they appear upon the chain elevator always in the same position, in such a manner that they shall always fall at the same spot upon the conveyor which clears them away.

Means may also be provided pennitting to turn over the wirebars upon the conveyor in such a manner that the set shall always be directed in the same direction and underneath the marking system and to send them to the inspection benches ready to be piled up.

Other characteristic feature will appear from the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings,

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the plant serving for clearing the wirebars away.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of a part of the said plant taken along an axis A--A shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front section of a part of the said plant taken along an axis 8-8 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the casting machine consists of a carrousel, partially shown diagrammatically at 1 upon which casting moulds 2 are arranged; according to the known methods, the moulds are lifted and rocked solely by means of guiding means (not illustrated). In order to quicken the said rocking, an air piston 3 is provided which pushes the mould 2 which has already been lifted automatically in a vertical position by the said guiding means, thus efiecting a rapid turning over of the mould and simultaneously freeing the wirebar from each mould. The wirebars fall parallel to each other upon a conveyor 4 which takes the wirebars 6 away. The wirebars are immersed in a tank 19 containing cooling water. The wirebars which are parallel to each other upon the conveyor, are taken away by the conveyor 4 and are discharged upon an inclined plane 5 along which they slide always in aparallel direction to each other, but not necessarily with the same orientation; the wirebars 6 may, for example, be placed upon the inclined plane 5 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. When they arrive at the foot of the inclined plane 5, they are removed one by one by a chain elevator 8 and are placed upon a weighing machine 9 which is independent of the wirebars which surround it and of any other part of the removing and conveying plant, and also of the device serving to mark the bars. if for example, the wirebars are placed upon the chain elevator 8 as shown for the inclined plane 5 at 611, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, it may happen that the wirebar 60 could not be removed in time by the conveyor before the fall of the bar 6b immediately next, and a jamming is thus produced of the two bars together, on the conveyor 11 or afterwards, for example, at the spot where they must pass between guiding means 12.

Each wirebar remains upon the weighing machine 9 as long as permitted by the wirebar which follows next; the latter bar pushes the bar which has already been weighed upon the inclined plane 10 which sends it away upon the receiving conveyor 11.

In order to avoid the drawbacks above mentioned, a pushrod 7 is provided, arranged at the foot of the inclined plane 5 and which works whilst the wirebarsadvance, and presses the wirebars towards the same spot of the inclined plane 5 so that the wirebars always appear in the same position upon the chain elevator 8 and fall always at the same spot upon the conveyor 11.

Since the wirebars may fall upon the receiving conveyor 11 sometimes with the set directed upwards, sometimes with the set directed downwards, and sometimes with the set directed sideways, a device known per se is provided upon the conveyor 11 for turning over the wirebars 13 so that they shall be always similarly directed towards the conveyor 14.

It may happen, owing for instance to a faulty removal from the mould, that a curved bar appears upon the conveyor 11; consequently, it would be impossible to direct it towards the conveyor 12 without a risk of jamming, either between the guiding means 12, or inside the various selection and inspection apparatus arranged downstream. It therefore becomes necessary to remove the wirebars along a shorter path. To that end, an auxiliary conveyor 15 is provided behind the conveyor 11, and upon such auxiliary conveyor the faulty bar is directed by reversing the direction of rotation of the cylinders 16 of the conveyor 11.

in order to prevent a movement backwards of wirebars which are satisfactory and which have already been inserted between the guiding means 12 of the conveyor 11, a lug 17 is provided, which is lifted simultaneously with the reversal of the direction of rotation of the cylinders 16, thus preventing the bar introduced from moving backwards.

What i claim is:

1. Equipment for clearing away copper ingots comprising:

a. circular casting machine provided with molds which contain cast copper;

b. means for removing copper ingots from their molds;

c. a first conveying means for collecting the copper ingots after they are removed from their molds and are in a condition requiring separation and for conveying said ingots away from said circular casting machine;

d. a chain elevator arranged subsequent to said first conveying means and being used for separating the ingots from each other and for pushing them one by one upon a weighing machine;

e. a push-rod arranged between said first conveying means and said chain elevator;

f. said push-rod for pushing the ingots towards and centering at the foot of the chain elevator so that they always appear in the same position and so that the ingots are conveyed one by one by said chain elevator;

g. said weighing machine arranged subsequent to said chain elevator;

h. second conveying means arranged subsequent to said weighing machine for discharging the ingots elsewhere; and

. wherein said weighing machine works independently both of the movement of said casting machine and of said second conveying means, and is for weighing the ingots before these ingots have been placed upon said second conveying means.

. Equipment for clearing away copper ingots comprising:

circular casting machine provided with molds which contain cast copper;

means for removing copper ingots from their molds;

. a first conveying means for collecting the copper ingots after they are removed from their molds and are in a condition requiring separation and for conveying said ingots away from said circular casting machine;

d. a chain elevator arranged subsequent to said first conveying means and being used for separating the ingots from each other;

a push-rod arranged between said first conveying means and said chain elevator;

f. said push-rod for pushing the ingots towards and centering at the foot of the chain elevator so that they always appear in the same position upon the chain elevator and so that the ingots are conveyed one by one by said chain elevator;

g. said chain elevator for advancing the movement of said ingots one by one towards a second conveying means; said second conveying means is arranged subsequent to said chain elevator for discharging the ingots elsewhere; and

. an auxiliary conveying means arranged adjacent said second conveying means for conveying faulty ingots in a direction different from the direction of conveyance of said second conveying means.

3. Equipment as claimed in claim 1, in which the conveying means comprise rotating rollers for advancing the ingots, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said rollers to direct the ingots in the direction of the said auxiliary conveymg means.

4. Equipment as claimed in claim 3 comprising an airhammer for removing the ingots from their molds.

5. Equipment as claimed in claim 2 comprising an airhammer for removing the ingots from their molds.

6. Equipment as claimed in claim 2 in which the conveying means comprises rotating rollers for advancing the ingots, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said rollers to direct the ingots in the direction of the said auxiliary conveying means.

7. The equipment of claim 1 wherein said second conveying means includes a means for turning over the ingots so that the set of the bars shall always be in the same direction.

8. The equipment of claim 6 wherein said second conveying means includes a lug means which is lifted simultaneously with the reversal of the direction of rotation of said rollers to prevent ingots which have advanced on said second conveying means past said lug means from moving backwards onto said auxiliary conveying means.

9. The equipment of claim 2 wherein said second conveying means includes a means for turning over the ingots so that the set of the bars shall always be in the same direction.

10. The equipment of claim 1 wherein said push-rod is an air piston.

11. Equipment of claim 1 which includes an auxiliary conveying means arranged adjacent said second conveying means for conveying faulty ingots in a direction different from the direction of conveyance of said second conveying means.

12. The equipment of claim 2 wherein said pushrod is an air iston. p w n a w a 

1. Equipment for clearing away copper ingots comprising: a. circular casting machine provided with molds which contain cast copper; b. means for removing copper ingots from their molds; c. a first conveying means for collecting the copper ingots after they are removed from their molds and are in a condition requiring separation and for conveying said ingots away from said circular casting machine; d. a chain elevator arranged subsequent to said first conveying means and being used for separating the ingots from each other and for pushing them one by one upon a weighing machine; e. a push-rod arranged between said first conveying means and said chain elevator; f. said push-rod for pushing the ingots towards and centering at the foot of the chain elevator so that they always appear in the same position and so that the ingots are conveyed one by one by said chain elevator; g. said weighing machine arranged subsequent to said chain elevator; h. second conveying means arranged subsequent to said weighing machine for discharging the ingots elsewhere; and i. wherein said weighing machine works independently both of the movement of said casting machine and of said second conveying means, and is for weighing the ingots before these ingots have been placed upon said second conveying means.
 2. Equipment for clearing away copper ingots comprising: a. circular casting machine provided with molds which contain cast copper; b. means for removing copper ingots from their molds; c. a first conveying means for collecting the copper ingots after they are removed from their molds and are in a condition requiring separation and for conveying said ingots away from said circular casting machine; d. a chain elevator arranged subsequent to said first conveying means and being used for separating the ingots from each other; e. a push-rod arranged between said first conveying means and said chain elevator; f. said push-rod for pushing the ingots towards and centering at the foot of the chain elevator so that they always appear in the same position upon the chain elevator and so that the ingots are conveyed one by one by said chain elevator; g. said chain elevator for advancing the movement of said ingots one by one towards a second conveying means; h. said second conveying means is arranged subsequent to said chain elevator for discharging the ingots elsewhere; and i. an auxiliary conveying means arranged adjacent said second conveying means for conveying faulty ingots in a direction different from the direction of conveyance of said second conveying means.
 3. Equipment as claimed in claim 1, in which the conveying means comprise rotating rollers for advancing the ingots, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said rollers to direct the ingots in the direction of the said auxiliary conveying means.
 4. Equipment as claimed in claim 3 comprising an airhammer for removing the ingots from their molds.
 5. Equipment as claimed in claim 2 comprising an airhammer for removing the ingots from their molds.
 6. EQuipment as claimed in claim 2 in which the conveying means comprises rotating rollers for advancing the ingots, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said rollers to direct the ingots in the direction of the said auxiliary conveying means.
 7. The equipment of claim 1 wherein said second conveying means includes a means for turning over the ingots so that the set of the bars shall always be in the same direction.
 8. The equipment of claim 6 wherein said second conveying means includes a lug means which is lifted simultaneously with the reversal of the direction of rotation of said rollers to prevent ingots which have advanced on said second conveying means past said lug means from moving backwards onto said auxiliary conveying means.
 9. The equipment of claim 2 wherein said second conveying means includes a means for turning over the ingots so that the set of the bars shall always be in the same direction.
 10. The equipment of claim 1 wherein said push-rod is an air piston.
 11. Equipment of claim 1 which includes an auxiliary conveying means arranged adjacent said second conveying means for conveying faulty ingots in a direction different from the direction of conveyance of said second conveying means.
 12. The equipment of claim 2 wherein said pushrod is an air piston. 